Clothesline reel



Oct. 7, 1930. H. COLE CLOTHESLINE REEL Filed Aug. 26, 1929 m mmwmmmmmmm Patented Oct. 7, 1930 p 1,777,784

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY COLE, F ANDOVER, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ERNEST EJBL, 0F ANDOVER, OHIO CLOTHESLINE REEL Application filed August 26, 1929. Serial No. 388,533.

This invention relates to a reel for clothes ing structure and held in a substantially lines, one of the objects being to provide a horizontal position. spring controlled reel which will automati- The reel forming a part of this invention cally take up slack in a clothes line but will includes a drum 5 which can be of sheet metal 5 allow any amount of the line to be paid out interposed between heads 6 in the form of 55 When it is desired to use the same. disks. These parts are held assembled by Another object is to provide a means for tie bolts 7 that extend through the disks and use in connection with the reel whereby the drum and serve to hold the drum properly line will be prevented from sagging to an centered relative to the disks and also to bind 1C undesirable extent after it has been set up the disks or heads against the drum. so. for use. The shaft 8 of the reel is adapted to be held A further object it to combine with the against rotation, this shaft being formed with reel a simple and eflicient housing which will a reduced portion 9 near one end insertable protect the line while not in use. into one of the slots 3. To the shaft is secured 5 A still further object is to providea housing one end of a spring 10. This spring is coiled 65 which can be removed readily whenever it is about the shaft and has its other end attached desired to obtain access to the reel or the to the drum 5. Thus when the drum is rotated oil d rope thereon, in one direction on the shaft 8 the spring 10 With th foregoing and other objects in will be placed under increased tension and,

view which Will appear as the description When the drum is thereafter released, the is proceeds, the invention resides in the comspring will rotate it in the opposite direction. bination andarrangement of parts and in-the One of the disks or heads 6 of the drum is details of construction hereinafter described rotatably mounted on shaft 8 while the other and claimechit being understood that changes disk or head 6 has a crank arm 11 connected in the precise embodiment of the invention hereto by means of a stem 12 projecting I5 herein disclosed may be made within the through sald head or disk 6 and journaled scope of What is claimed without departing 1n the ad]acent end of the shaft 8. Nuts 13 from the spirit of the invention. mounted on this stem 12 serve to bind on the In the accompanying drawing the prelnterposed head or disk 6 so as to hold it ferred form of the invention has been shown. securely to the stem 12. r so In said drawing, Either or both of the heads or disks 6 may Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section be formed with peripheral notches 14. In through the housing and across the reel therethe P e e t Ins n e Only one of these disks in. y are so prov1ded. A rod 15 is extended trans- Fi 2 i ti on li 2 2, Fi 1, versely of the yoke 1 and is journaled in the Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the device. j 2- ThlS rod 18 P O ClBd at each end Fi 4 i a d t il i f a ti f w1th a small'crank arm 16 by means of wh ch the Supporting yoke and one end portion of 1t can be rotated. At an lntermedla-te point the reel shaft adapted to engage the same. the rod has finger 17 ixtending radially Referring to the figures Characters of therefrom. If desired, this finger can be in reference 1 designates a yoke which can be the form of a small yoke adapted to be seated f the notches 14 and straddle a orformed of a fiat strip of metal. The arms 2 1151 one 0 p of this yoke are parallel andeach of them non the engaged head or dlsk 6 as shown for example in Figures 1 and 2. 45 has an mchned slot 3 extendmg downwardly A clothes'line 18 is adapted to be secured theremto l m lts flfee Cr e 4 at one end to the drum 5 and the free end gy be formed 1n the mteljmedlate P of said line may be provided with a hook 19 or of h y f r the P' 0f fastenmg the like for engaging a supporting structure.

. screws or the like whereby the yoke can be A box-like housing 20 open at the bottom is 50 fastened securely to a post or other support provided for protecting the reel and the line 1 thereon. This housing has slots 21 in the back wall thereof spaced apart to receive the arms 2 of the yoke when the housing is moved downwardly relative to the yoke. The sides of the housing have slots 22 extending upwardly thereinto for the reception of the end portions of rod 15, the projectlng end of shaft 8, and the stem 12. A horizontally extended slot 23 is formed in the front of the housing and the edges of these slots can be reinforced and rounded as shown at 24.

The line 18 is so Wrapped around the drum that, when it is pulled outwardly through the slot 23, it will increase the tension of spring 10. This unwinding of the line cannot be effected, however,-unless the dog 17 is first disengaged from the notched head or disk 6. After the line has been extended a desired distance and the free end thereof attached to a supporting structure, the tensioned spring will draw the line taut. By then swinging dog 17 into the adjacent notch 14 the line will be prevented from sagging when subjected to a load.

When it is desired to house the line the same is unfastened at its outer end and will be taken up automatically by the spring actuated reel.

Obviously b lifting the housing off of the i 30 yoke 1 and sli ing it along the extended portion of the line, the reel will be fully exposed. Said reel can then be removed from the arms 2 simply by sliding shaft 8 and 1 stem 12 out of the respective slots 3. By

means of the crank 11 the tension of the spring can be regulated by rotating the drum relative to its shaft 8 before the line is wrapped therearound.

What is claimed is:

A device of the class described including a yoke, a reel, a sprin within the reel, a

shaft on which the reel 1s mounted for rotation, a stem rotatable with the reel and providing a bearing for one end of the shaft, said shaft and stem bein detachabl mounted in opposed portions the yoke, t e spring being attached at its ends to the shaft and reel respectively, and a line secured to and extending from the reel, said spring constituting means for automatically winding the line on the reel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

HARRY COLE. 

